Drones

Florida's Undefined Technologies claims it has managed to increase the thrust levels of ion propulsion systems to "unprecedented levels" with its "Air Tantrum" technology, enabling very quiet drones with no moving parts in the propulsion system, that look like flying pallets.

Spanish company Quaternium has destroyed its own record for gasoline-electric drone endurance with a 10-hour, 14-minute flight. But how does that stack up against hydrogen and batteries, and what are the implications for the emerging eVTOL market?

VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) drones are quite versatile, as they combine the vertical flight of a helicopter with the efficient forward flight of a fixed-wing airplane. This one features an extended range, thanks to a fuel cell power system.

As compared to true ROVs (remotely operated vehicles), less-expensive underwater drones tend to be aimed mainly at hobbyists. The Geneinno T1 Pro drone, however, is designed to perform some major-league underwater tasks.

DJI has just given its lightweight and compact Mavic Mini drone a refresh, squeezing onboard a more capable camera and endowing it with better performance through the air and the ability to stray much farther from its human controller.

When conducting environmental studies in hard-to-access locations, scientists will often set up networks of small data-logging sensors. Deploying those sensors can be hard, though, which is why a dart-shooting drone is being developed to do the job.

Maryland firm Door Robotics has hit Kickstarter with what it claims is the world's first fully integrated 360-degree camera drone. The Vista combines the output of two ultra-wide cameras into an all-encompassing, depth-mapped 8K/30-fps video stream.

Back in 2016 we saw researchers take inspiration from birds to produce a feathered drone with unique capabilities. The team has continued refining this design to introduce more moving parts, enabling the drone to now fly with “unparalleled agility.”

With perhaps a few exceptions, battery-electric multicopter drones typically can't fly for longer than about 30 minutes. Such is not the case, however, with their hybrid counterparts – one of which recently broke its own endurance record.

In recent years, both MIT and Fraunhofer have announced the development of systems that use flying drones to keep track of inventory in warehouses. The Ware system offers a unique take on that same idea, and is already in use at multiple locations.

Multicopter drones are becoming increasingly useful, but their exposed whirling propellers can get damaged in collisions, and inflict injuries on bystanders. A new prototype drone addresses that problem, by copying the pufferfish.

If you've ever tried flying a cheap quadcopter indoors, you'll know how easily they can crash into walls. Now imagine trying the same with a much more expensive industrial drone. That's why the new Aertos 130IR is built to be tough.